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I'm currently retreating to my comfort zone, which means I'm reading Brookmyre. It's All Fun and Games Until Somebody Loses an Eye is one of my favorites. It's fun and... well, you know I watch Chuck, right? And I like it, despite (or even due to) its utter ridiculousness. But I always grimace whenever Chuck gives one of his I-want-to-be-a-real-spy rants. That's not how you become a spy.

This is.

Also chasing after bad guys that kidnap your son
and making alliance with an evil genius.

Yesterday I stumbled upon this article:

The list reminds me of a few things in Brookmyre books. Yes I can be that geeky. Let's see.

#6. Firing Two Guns at the Same Time
In It's All Fun and Games Until Somebody Loses an Eye, Bett (the said Evil Genius) explains that it's not about accuracy, but about field of fire.
'...you’re in a confined space, nowhere to retreat, three men bearing down on you, two hundred pounds each, ten yards away, and one little bullet isn’t going to drop them unless it’s right through the centre of the brain. What do you do?’

#5. Using a Flamethrower
Tim Vale in Be My Enemy and Big Kirk in Pandaemonium use pressure washer and pesticide spray, respectively, as flamethrowers. Given the circumstances and the opponents, it's still plausible, I think.

#4. Using Laser Sights on a Sniper Rifle
Jasmine Sharp points this out to her benefit in Where The Bodies Are Buried.

#3. Trying to Kick Ass in a Suit and Tie
One Fine Day in the Middle of the Night set place in a party (a high school reunion at that, chalk one up to Chris). Everybody wear suit or dress, and they can't ask the bad guys to change to more appropriate costumes when they start kicking ass. Not in one-on-one combat, admittedly. And safe to say that no one can wear those suits and dresses to another party, but still.

#2. Shooting Locks off with a Handgun
In A Big Boy Did It and Ran Away, Lexy tells Wee Murph that that is not possible, even points out that it only works in films.
'If you fired wan o’ thae ’hings at solid metal, it could ricochet roon here an’ blaw your heid off. That’s if it didnae set off aw the explosives.’

#1. Using a Large Caliber Handgun
There's no shortage of guns in Brookmyre books when they're needed, but I don't know or don't pay enough attention to notice whether they're large calibre or not. The one that Jack Parlabane uses is 9mm, but Raymond Ash uses a speargun for God's sake. This is not really an argument for or against the last point. I don't know what I'm ranting about ;P
Boiling a Frog, Sternmeyer P-35 11m. There :D

So there it is. Me geeking out. Now back to Jane Fleming.